Driving momentum and delivering growth for Warwickshire in 2026

Stuart Buckley, Managing Director at Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG), looks at the year ahead and how the pipeline of residential and commercial projects is positioning the company for a successful 2026.

We’ve entered 2026 in a very strong position. After several years of planning, building partnerships and laying the groundwork, it’s shaping up to be a year where a lot of that hard work starts to pay off, with delivery picking up pace right across Warwickshire.

By turning our plans into real places where people can live and work, we are continuing to deliver on our core purpose of unlocking value and economic activity from Warwickshire County Council assets for the benefit of residents across the county.

WPDG has grown sustainably into a business with a clear and confident programme of residential and commercial schemes.

A huge part of our progress over the last few years comes down to the relationships we’ve built, with our shareholder Warwickshire County Council and private sector partners Vistry Group, Seddon, GEDA and MCS Group to name just a few.

These partnerships sit at the heart of everything we do and will continue to be key as we deliver real value for local communities and businesses in 2026.

Residential delivery

We are seeing momentum build across a number of our sites as residential development continues to be a major focus in 2026.

This is most evident at Milby Meadows (Top Farm) in Nuneaton, which is being delivered under the Develop Warwickshire joint venture. While construction continues at pace on site, with 100 homes now completed and around 50 occupied, we are anticipating approval on 383 further homes in the spring.

That would bring the total number of homes at the development with planning permission to 914, with plans also progressing at pace for the Local Centre at the site, providing local amenities for new residents. The homes will include affordable homes, private rent and open market sale, delivering a diverse and inclusive community to the area.

Elsewhere in Nuneaton, we hope to start work in the first half of 2026 at the former Manor Park Secondary School site. Working alongside our partner, Seddon Housing Partnerships, the scheme will deliver 54 new homes, breathing new life into the site.

Through our other direct delivery residential schemes, we are progressing plans in Bulkington and Hartshill. At Trent Road in Bulkington, proposals are in place to deliver up to 30 sustainable new homes in partnership with GEDA.

Meanwhile, over in Hartshill, we’ll be continuing to work closely with Seddon Housing Partnerships on our Church Road scheme and will be preparing a Reserved Matters planning application in the coming months.

In the south of the county, Mabel’s Farm in Ilmington is another project we are aiming to take forwards in the early months of the year, with the goal of starting construction of around 25 new homes in 2026 after forming a partnership with Deeley Group.

Through our partnerships, its set to be another strong year across our residential portfolio.

 

Commercial growth

On the commercial front, momentum is equally strong. Last year, we secured planning permission for the first phase of Fusiliers Way, located between Warwick and Leamington Spa. The scheme will include 11 commercial units across 43,000 sq ft of space.

In 2026, we will focus on starting work on-site, delivering facilities that have been specifically designed to support SMEs and local businesses, providing flexible, modern accommodation in a very accessible location and we will announce shortly our next scheme located in Rugby

We will then move into phase two of the scheme which will deliver a new Local Centre complete with a children’s nursery, convenience store and coffee shop to create a vibrant focal point for the surrounding community.

The success of Sucham Park in Southam, where our first commercial venture is now fully let, underlines the strong demand for this type of space.

It is also shaping up to be a landmark year for the businesses based at Sucham Park, with Green Tech Industries already seeking to expand and recruit additional staff less than eight months after moving in, and AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group opening a new customer and training centre to better serve its clients.

This is the exact type of impact we will aim to replicate at Fusiliers Way and our future commercial schemes.

Fusiliers Way between Warwick and Leamington Spa

 

Asset management

Alongside development, our asset management team continues to play a significant role within WPDG.

Through Warwickshire Property Management Ltd (WPM), the team manages the lettings of hundreds of Warwickshire County Council-owned properties.

In 2026, WPM will continue to support tenants by securing long-term agreements, for community groups which allows them to apply for grants and external funding helping to safeguard vital community services.

During 2025, a number of these tenancies were concluded such as the Veterans Centre in Nuneaton, Scouts at Brinklow and Wembrook Community Centre.

Also, on the smallholding estate WPM has over the last 12 months seen a number of new tenant farmers including those at Dunsmore Home Farm in Rugby and Homelands Farm near Bidford, this will continue into 2026.

The achievements across our asset management portfolio in recent years are a testament to the dedication of the team as hundreds of transactions have been completed which has had a positive impact for our shareholder and tenancies alike, and we are determined to build on that success this year.

 

Foundations for delivery

As we look ahead, discussions are already under way with our joint venture partners and Warwickshire County Council about additional sites and opportunities to deliver more homes across the county.

It’s essential that we build a strong pipeline and that work is supported by the excellent team we have at WPDG, supported by strong, trusted relationships with the County Council and our partners.

These foundations are essential as we continue to focus on what matters most, delivering residential and economic growth, creating high-quality homes and employment space to benefit those living and working across Warwickshire.